Yesterday an idle stumble through the LinkedIn Gaming Group boards led me to an intriguing discovery on the CD Projekt Red Jobs page. I noticed that not only are they developing a dark fantasy RPG (presumably The Witcher Rise of the White Wolf), they are also hiring for a completely different kind of game. The icon next to these job listings was a gun, which led me to believe this was an RPG in a modern setting. I was intrigued, but since there was no more information about the project (or projekt) I quickly forgot about it.
Fast forward to today, when CD Projekt Red held it's Summer Conference, and announced a new RPG based on the pen and paper RPG Cyberpunk created by Mike Pondsmith. While there isn't much they are telling us about the game right now, we do know it is planned as a triple A title, and will be based in a universe steeped in lore and awesomeness. We do know that players will experience the world through their own, unique characters chosen from different classes - be they blood-thirsty mercenaries or cunning hackers - who they will equip with a vast array of cybernetic implants and deadly weapons. As in The Witcher series, players will face morally ambiguous choices, their actions influencing events in the world at large and the fate of the individuals they encounter.
"For over two decades," said Pondsmith, who was on hand at the conference in Warsaw, Poland, "I've been proud to say that Cyberpunk's been the gold standard of what it means to be a true cyberpunk game. And it's been a huge success for me and our many fans, with over 5 million players worldwide. But over all that time we haven't found the right team to bring our cyberpunk world to full digital life -- until now. CD Projekt Red is the team we've been hoping for. Their incredible work on The Witcher and The Witcher 2 shows that they share the same dedication and love of great games that we do at Talsorian. I'm especially stoked that they want our participation in making this game a fantastic project that will live up to everything Cyberpunk fans (old and new) have been waiting for. Trust me -- this game is going to rock."
While I definitely feel vindicated in my hunch, I am severely bummed that I didn't post my job hunt discovery yesterday when it would have been news. Alas, all I can say is that I'm very happy to see a Cyberpunk game coming, particularly from this studio. The game does not yet have a title or a release date, but we should hear more very shortly.
Could this be the game to make up for "Capture the Flag" ShadowRun let down? Cyberpunk games are woefully under-represented in modern gaming, so lets hope this one is a hit.
Between this, the new Shadow Run game and the Shadow Run online game, I am hoping we see a small upturn at least. Well besides the great time I had playing Deus Ex (boss battles aside).